Trump threatens to end FEMA funds

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CHICO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 20: Residents displace by the deadly Camp Fire in Butte County wait in line for assistance at FEMA’s local assistance center in a vacant Sears store in Chico, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

With California reeling after its worst-ever fire season, President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday he will cut federal disaster aid to the state, blaming its “disgraceful” forest management for the blazes.

The president said on Twitter that unless state officials “get their act together, which is unlikely,” he has “ordered” the Federal Emergency Management Agency “to send no more money,” arguing “billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would never happen.”

Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money!

Newly elected Gov. Gavin Newsom noted on Twitter that Trump’s tweet followed his proposed $305 million in new funding as part of his first state budget later this week to expand California’s ability to fight wildfires and better alert residents.

The governor also noted that the presidential tweet came after Newsom joined other West Coast governors in a letter seeking federal cooperation in “taking on these unprecedented wildfires.” And Newsom later responded directly to the federal aid cut order, saying “disasters and recovery are no time for politics.”

Disasters and recovery are no time for politics. I’m already taking action to modernize and manage our forests and emergency responses.

The people of CA — folks in Paradise — should not be victims to partisan bickering.

The spat marked a stark contrast from the cooperative tone the president struck in his November visit to California, where he toured what was left of the town of Paradise which was largely incinerated in the Camp Fire, the state’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record.

Jovanna Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said federal funding for wildfire survivors in California was safe. The funding for disaster relief is not affected by what is going on — including a government shutdown — because the president approved it through a major disaster declaration, Garcia said.

“We are continuing our efforts,” she said.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, whose district includes Butte County and much of northeastern California, said in a press release Wednesday that he expects Trump to keep his promise to Paradise.

“Although I share the president’s great frustration with California’s choking regulations from the stranglehold environmental groups have on the state, as well as the inaction on federal lands up until this administration, the immediate problem for fire victims is the first need, and threats to FEMA funding are not helpful and will not solve the longer term forest management regulatory problems,” La Malfa wrote in the release.

“The president has seen first-hand our fire-ravaged areas in Northern California. He made the promise to help, and I expect him to keep it. I appreciate the speed and great amount of disaster relief funds that have been committed following his visit to Paradise.”

LaMalfa said federal policies need to change and that he is an “enthusiastic partner for long term solutions for forest management in California.”

State Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, and State Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Red Bluff, also released a joint statement that thanked the president for visiting Paradise, but criticized his latest position, saying there is no higher priority than protecting lives and livelihoods.

“This Twitter war, however, is not helpful. It will not solve the problem,” they said. “That is why the President’s threat to withhold FEMA funds from California is wholly unacceptable. He made a commitment to the people who have lost everything in these fires, and we expect the federal government to follow through with this promise.”

In the statement they argued that the state will be investing in forest management but the federal government has its role, as well.

“California is now investing $1 billion in forestry management, and we need cooperation and funding from the federal government to address the huge buildup of fuels on federal land,” they said.

Newsom, a frequent critic of the Trump administration, also had struck a cooperative posture with the president in November.

But he criticized Trump on Twitter following the president’s Tuesday night national address on border security and the ongoing stalemate over funding a border wall that has largely shuttered parks and other federal agencies.

Pres. Trump's go-to is governing by fear and division. We can secure our border AND achieve comprehensive immigration reform–without wasting tax payer $ to build a pointless wall. Hundreds of thousands of fed workers are waiting on a paycheck. End the games. Open our government.

Though Trump during his November visit had pledged federal support for California, he also suggested then that the state’s “poor” forestry management has made it more vulnerable to disastrous wildfires and that federal aid might be cut if that didn’t change.

State officials disputed the suggestion that California forestry management played a role in the recent wildfires, and suggested instead a warming climate is making wildfires worse. They also noted the Camp Fire, which killed 86 people in and around Paradise, is believed to have started in or near Plumas National Forest, spreading initially on federal property. More than half of all forest land in California is federally owned.

In their Tuesday letter to President Trump, Newsom, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown asked for the federal government to double its funding for fire prevention efforts in national forests in the three states. Newsom said at a Tuesday news conference that the Trump Administration has cut that budget by $2 billion in recent years.

It was unclear Wednesday whether Trump had actually cut any promised FEMA funding for California, or to what extent he could do so. It’s not the first time he’s threatened to cut various funding to California in disputes ranging from immigration to university free-speech policies.

There was no official statement from the White House press office, which did not respond to questions Wednesday morning. FEMA also did not respond to questions — on Tuesday the agency invited California fire victims on Twitter to “meet with our mitigation specialists” for “advice in repairing and rebuilding stronger.”

Brad Pierce, FEMA’s external affairs advisor based in Sacramento, said Wednesday that “we here at this office are waiting for additional guidance same as everyone else.”

Paradise Mayor Jody Jones, who was among those who lost homes and had met with Trump in November, said she had no comment on the president’s tweet.

Here is my statement in response to the President's tweet threatening to withdraw FEMA funding from California.

Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter, who lost his home as did several of his family members, said Trump’s tweet is nothing but divisive and pulling FEMA funds would hurt the most vulnerable fire victims — poor rural residents without insurance or jobs who need federal funds for housing.

Teeter added “I don’t care” if criticizing Trump in a largely Republican county might not be popular with his constituents.

“I almost died in this fire,” Teeter said. “I just want some help for my people — and I don’t appreciate being a political pawn over that.”

Cindy Hoover, 58, who lost her Paradise home to the fire and is now staying in a trailer, said that while she shares concerns about how forests are managed these days, Wednesday’s tweet from the president “really makes me mad.”

“Our world is upside down right now and I’m just trying to function,” said Hoover, who added that she didn’t vote for Trump.

It was unclear Wednesday in what ways the president believes the state’s forest management falls short.

During his November visit, Trump mentioned that Finland, “a forest nation,” spends “a lot of time raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don’t have any problem.” The remark was widely ridiculed by critics who noted the northern European country has a much different climate than California and who questioned whether anyone there actually rakes its vast wilderness.

Newsom on Tuesday however cut the president some slack on that point, suggesting he was referring to clearing brush around homes as “defensible space” which firefighters recommend.

“I know some folks made light of raking,” Newsom said. “I think he was talking about defensible spaces, which has a role to play.”